Biologists conducting an necropsy on a sperm whale that beached itself in the shallow waters of the Gulf of Mexico in the Florida Keys said they found man-made materials in the mammal’s stomach that likely contributed to its death.
The adult male was one of two sperm whales that died in Florida Keys waters within seven days. The other was a newborn calf that became separated from its mother off Key Largo on May 4.
Both deaths are under investigation, but state and federal scientists say they don’t initially appear to be related.
